Getty Kyle Lowry #7 of the Miami Heat celebrates after scoring during the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on December 13, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio.
One of the most scrutinized Miami Heat players following the team’s exit from the playoffs has been point guard Kyle Lowry. While the six-time All-Star was one of the main reasons Miami entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the East, the 36-year-old veteran fell apart during the postseason.
Lowry, who missed eight of the Heat’s playoff games due to a hamstring injury, averaged the least amount of points (7.8) by any starting point guard in 10 games, per the Miami Herald, and was even worse from beyond the arc, shooting 13-of-54, a 24.1% accuracy.
After ending the season on such a low note, Lowry’s name has been tossed around in trade proposals from analysts across the league after Nets superstar Kevin Durant requested a trade out of Brooklyn, and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski named the Heat as one of his top “wish list” destinations.
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While Lowry has been lying low this summer, he broke his silence on Miami’s aggressive pursuit of Durant during an appearance on The VC Show with host Vince Carter.
“I understand it’s business,” Lowry told Carter. “I understood this thing was a business from literally draft night of going into my second year when they drafted Mike Conley. “I knew about the business fairly early.”
HoopsHype ranks Kyle Lowry as the 25th best PG in the NBA
“it’s hard to project Lowry to be much higher than the 25th-best point guard in the NBA in 2022-23 after the year he just had, so that’s the spot we landed on for him.”
Lowry was drafted as the No. 24 overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies, but in 2009, he was part of a three-team trade that sent him to the Houston Rockets. In July 2012, Lowry was traded to the Toronto Raptors where he helped lead the franchise to its first-ever NBA Championship in 2019. In July 2021, the Heat acquired the veteran via a sign-and-trade, signing him to a three-year, $85 million contract.
Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman reported on Monday, August 9 that all three trades “came with his approval,” which may not be the case if he’s included in the Heat’s blockbuster package for Durant.
However, Lowry told Carter that he was not losing sleep over it. “How I handle it is I don’t pay attention to it,” Lowry said. “I understand, listen, it’s rumors until it happens. And there’s nothing you can do about it. And hopefully, you have a good enough agent who’s on it and in constant communication. But if it happens, it happens, and you move on.”
Lowry Opened Up About Seeing Fat Memes on Twitter
In his candid interview, Lowry admitted to Carter that he’s seen all the memes flooding social media regarding his physique. “It used to bother me a lot. It used to get to me. It used to really get to me, I’ll be honest with you,” Lowry said. “And now I don’t care. For me, a man that’s never been crazy athletic, THICC, whatever, I’m looking at… yeah, THICC has been good for me.”
But after everything he’s achieved in the NBA with that body, Lowry can handle jokes. “Y’all can create all the memes you want,” he added. “I embrace it. I love it.”
Kyle Lowry just said he’s learned to embrace the ‘thicc’ tag.
That’s our cue to post this:
However, the Villanova alum did do something about his physique after getting called out by Heat president Pat Riley during his annual end-of-season press conference.
“The bottom line with me and for me as far as hoping that you can get the most out of a player — is that you got to be in world-class shape. You just have to be,” Riley said almost as a warning to Lowry on June 6, while also noting “I do think that he can be in better shape next year.”
Riley’s comments must’ve been motivation enough because recent photos and videos of Lowry training show him looking absolutely jacked.
Kyle really abt to be in the best shape of his life. #HEATCulture
While Lowry rarely posts on his personal Instagram and Twitter pages, videos of his workouts with NBA trainer Travis Wallace went viral on both social media apps, and the comments regarding his body have quickly shifted. A popular fan account tweeted, “The league isn’t ready for a ripped Kyle Lowry 🔥.”
Lowry Said He’s Extra Motivated for the 2022 NBA Season
Kyle Lowry training at UFC Performance Institute in Vegas 👀
Lowry made it clear following the Heat’s Game 7 loss to the Boston Celtics during the Eastern Conference Finals that he was not happy with himself. “I wish I would have been able to play a little bit better, at a higher level, but I didn’t,” Lowry said during the postgame press conference, refusing to offer any excuses for his poor performance on the nagging hamstring injury. “It just adds fuel. You don’t know how many more opportunities you will have to get back to this, so for me, honestly it was a waste of a year.”
“I only play to win championships,” Lowry continued. “It was fun, and I appreciate my teammates, and I appreciate the opportunity. But for me, it’s a waste of a year. You’re… not winning a championship, it’s a wasted year.”
Even though months have passed since that Game 7 loss, Lowry’s point of view hasn’t wavered.
“Right now, I’m even more motivated because I had a chance to make it to another championship,” Lowry told Carter. “There’s something about that championship that I want another one. It’s just what I play for.”
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